Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat
Getty
Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat
It’s been a rough go of things here in the 2025-26 season for Miami Heat star scorer Tyler Herro, who has followed up on last year’s All-Star season with an injury-riddled dud of a year. Herro was out for the start of the season with surgery on his left foot, and came back to play in six games. But then he hurt his big toe and missed the last month, with a contusion that appeared to frustrate many within and outside the team.
Herro made his return to the lineup, though, this week, coming off the bench in a 28-point loss to Minnesota on Thursday. Herro scored 17 points with nine rebounds in 28:37 of laying time, shooting 7-for-15 from the field.
After the game, questions lingered about what the Heat would do with Herro long-term, whether playing him in the starting lineup or continuing to use him off the bench. Herro said he was not not sure, and suggested reporters, “Ask coach.” But coach Erik Spoelstra had been coy about what’s next for the Heat and Herro.
Miami Heat’s Starting 5 Plan Revealed Amid Postponement
On Thursday, the Heat were slated to take on the Bulls in Chicago, and once again, Spoelstra was keeping his lineup plans close to his chest. But the team did take the floor–before the game was delayed and eventually postponed because of condensation on the court making the game too risky to play.
That meant that Spoelstra had to reveal his starting unit, which did, indeed, put Herro into the starting group in a relatively small lineup. Spoelstra had been favoring the double-big lineup of Bam Adebayo and 7-foot center Kel’el Ware, but against a small Bulls team, Herro was slated to replace Ware.
Spoelstra brushed off the questions about Herro and the starting five, though.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Spoelstra said with a laugh. “Gosh dang it. Gosh dang it.”
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
GettyMiami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
Erik Spoelstra Knows Tyler Herro Wants to Start
But Spoelstra did acknowledge that Herro wants to start for the Miami Heat, and addressed the perceived tension around that situation. He still might prefer to use the Ware-Adebayo combo at various times going forward, against teams with bigger lineups. There are not all that many of those, though, in the Eastern Conference.
“Well, part of his competitive nature and spirit and that edge is what’s gotten him to this point, and I love that about him,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t want him to lose any bit of that edge. And then it’ll be up to him and I to funnel it and channel it in the right direction.
“But we need his talent. We need his edginess. We need his swag. We need all of it right now, and I’m just excited that we have him back in the mix.”